Book clubs are a great way of socialising while also getting to discover new reads. But often with book clubs, it is new releases or the most talked about book of the moment that becomes the selection. But people could be missing a trick, book clubs could be the perfect way to get through the classics that you may have been putting off, able to share thoughts and understanding. That being said, here are the top 10 best novels to read for book clubs as recommended by Goodreads.
10. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Secret Life of Bees is a novel by American author Sue Monk Kidd. Set in 1964, it is a coming-of-age story that details on loss, betrayal and the interracial landscape of the American South during the civil-rights era. The book received has received much critical acclaim and was a New York Times bestseller.
9. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Glass Castle is a memoir by Jeannette Walls and it recounts her unconventional upbringing with her loving but dysfunctional family. Her parents, are both artistic, and non-conformist, but face struggles with alcoholism and financial instability. The story’s themes explore the family’s nomadic life, poverty and Rex’s promise to build a “glass castle”.
8. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
This book follows the lives of two Afghan women whose lives have become connected in tumultuous modern Afghanistan. Mariam is an illegitimate child who has been married off at a young age and later finds an unexpected friendship with Laila, who is also taken in by Mariam’s husband. But as Afghanistan descends into war, their lives and their bond are tested by hardship and tragedy.
7. The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) by Suzanne Collins
Suzanne Collin’s Hunger Games trilogy explores the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem and 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in District 12. She volunteers to take the place of her younger sister is the annual Hunger Games, which is a televised battle to the death involving two people from each of the 12 districts. The book’s themes include poverty, suppression and the effects of war.
6. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is a story about a woman, Clare, who is married to a Henry, a man who has a rare condition where his genetic clock periodically resets and it means he is suddenly pulled into his past or the future. he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. Henry and Clare’s struggle to lead normal lives is both emotional and stays with you.
5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Harper Lee’s poignant story follows a young girl and her brother as they deal with the prejudice of their small town. When their father must defend a Black man who is falsely accused of rape, the children must face the harsh realities of racism. The story’s themes include morality and innocence through a young lens.
4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
This historical fiction story is set in Nazi Germany in the Second World War. It tells the story of a girl growing up during this time. The girl finds comfort in words and so she steals books and learns to read alongside this, her family is protecting a Jew. The book’s themes include death, love and literature.
3. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen tells the story of Jacob Jankowski, a veterinary student who has suffered a personal tragedy. During the Great Depression he impulsively decides to join a struggling circus called the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show, where he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act and Rosie who appears to be an untrainable elephant.
2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Another by Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner is set in 1970s Afghanistan and follows 12-year-old Amir who wishes to win the local kite-fighting tournament. His friend Hassan promises to help him try to win but neither of the boys can know what would happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to turn their lives upside down.
1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Help by Kathryn Stockett tells the story of three women’s lives in Jackson, Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. The book is centred on Skeeter Phelan, a young white woman, Aibileen Clark, a Black maid and Minny Jackson, another Black maid, as they navigate racial tensions and the challenges of their time.